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Summary: Joseph Lowery recalls his position as pastor at the Warren Street Church in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1950s. He remembers joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the differences in race relations between Mobile and other southern cities, and helping to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He reflects on the effectiveness of nonviolence, the libel suit against him, sit-ins across the country, and the Selma to Montgomery March.

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Biographical History: Joseph Lowery was born in 1921 in Huntsville, Alabama, married Evelyn Gibson in 1950, and had three children. He attended Paine College, Paine Theological Seminary, and Chicago Ecumenical Seminary. He worked as pastor and civil rights activist in Mobile, Alabama, and was a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

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Acquisition Note: The Civil Rights History Project is a joint project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement.

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Existence and Location of Copies: Copies of items are also held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.).

The individuals documented in these collection items retain copyright and related rights to the use of their recorded and written testimonies and memories. They have granted the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution permission to provide access to their interviews and related materials for purposes that are consistent with each agency’s educational mission, such as publication and transmission, in whole or in part, on the Web. Their written permission is required for commercial, profit-making distribution, reproduction, or other use beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. See our Legal Notices and Privacy and Publicity Rights for additional information and restrictions.

The American Folklife Center, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the professional fieldworkers who carry out these projects feel a strong ethical responsibility to the people they have visited and who have consented to have their lives documented for the historical record. The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material.

Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these collection materials should contact the Folklife Reading Room for assistance.

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